Boeing Dreamliner Battery Fix May Be at Hand

The FAA yesterday gave Boeing the go-ahead to begin tests of new 787 batteries and supporting components that could lead to the problem-plagued plane’s receiving approval to resume commercial flights. Fifty 787s were grounded in January, following a series of battery fires and other issues.

The agency will closely monitor testing of the new batteries, and there’s no guarantee that the results will pass muster quickly. But it strongly suggests that the FAA believes that Boeing has successfully identified the root cause of the battery fires and has developed a workable solution to the problem.

The proposed fix incorporates a combination of measures aimed at both prevention and containment.

On the prevention side, the newly designed batteries will feature more insulation between the batteries’ cells to prevent overheating.

And on the containment side, the batteries will be housed in more robust cases that Boeing claims “eliminates any potential for fire and allows the airplane to safely continue on to its destination.” The new cases will also use titanium hoses to route any hazardous gases outside the plane.

In a best-case scenario, in which the planned tests in the lab and inflight are all successful, the new batteries could be recertified by the FAA within about a month, sources say. Add in another few weeks to retrofit the grounded planes, and the 787s could be back in operation in early- to mid-May.

Dreamliner Issues and Responses

On March 9, Boeing operated an FAA-sanctioned 787 test flight, during which special equipment was used to monitor and record the batteries’ performance. The flight was described as “uneventful.”

On February 9 and 11, Boeing completed two test flights, using one of six 787 test planes specially fitted with electronic tools to monitor and diagnose battery-related issues. Both flights were “uneventful.”

Call me an old grouch. So many “hands” went into this “farmed-out” aircraft project, and with so many delays, together with pictures of torched batteries that could have come out of a 1928 Model A — well, there’s not a lot of incentive to sit down in one of these things and go somewhere.

And which is to say it’s pretty clear Boeing has lost its way, with nothing like this happening on Alan Mulally’s watch.